Half of Women Say Ejaculation Is Important

Many women consider a man’s ejaculation, including its volume and intensity, to be important, although their views vary widely, according to new research in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Past research has shown that premature ejaculation can affect both men and their female partners. But little was known about the ways other aspects of ejaculation, such as the amount of semen ejaculated and the intensity of the climax, may affect a woman’s sexual experience.

The current study involved 250 sexually active, heterosexual women in Switzerland. They ranged in age from 20 to 60 years, with an average age of 27 years.

The women completed a 30-minute anonymous online survey, answering questions about their sexual histories and feelings about ejaculation. They also completed the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), covering their sexual function during the previous four weeks, and the FSFI-LL, which addressed their function since they first became sexually active.

Sixty-five percent of the women were in committed relationships, and 60% had had between one and four sexual relationships.

Almost 90% of the women said that sex was important to them, and 70% said that having sex several times a week would be ideal for them. Vaginal intercourse was the preferred sexual activity for half the women. About a quarter of the women usually reached orgasm; another quarter rarely did.

Just over half the women said it was important to them that their partner ejaculate. This appeared to be more important to older women than younger women.

Over half said it didn’t matter whether their partner ejaculated before or after they reached orgasm. Eighteen percent said they preferred that their partner climax first, 28% said they did not prefer this timing.

Most women said the amount of ejaculate expelled was not “an expression of [her] own sexual attractiveness.” However, 13% did agree with this assessment. Thirty-eight percent said volume didn’t matter and 27% said they had never paid attention.

The researchers found a positive association between importance of ejaculation and sexual function. (The more important ejaculation was, the better the woman’s function.)

“Future studies are clearly needed to investigate whether and how ejaculatory disorders such as anorgasmia can impact women’s sexual function and satisfaction, because our results clearly show how ejaculatory characteristics can influence women’s sexual well-being,” the authors wrote.

There were several limitations to the research, they added. For example all of the data were subjective. Also, it was not known how condom use or partners’ sexual problems influenced the women’s experiences.